 |
| Young people dressed in ancient Hwarang clothing celebrate the first anniversary of Hwarang Day at Cheongdo County, North Gyeongsang Province, on Sept. 5. Last year, Cheongdo County designated Sept. 1 as the memorial day of the youth military academy that was active during the Silla Kingdom (57 B.C.-935 A.D.). Third from the left is Lee Joong-geun, mayor of the county. / Courtesy of Cheongdo County |
Cheongdo eyes tour belt to promote ancient schools
By Chung Min-uck
CHEONGDO ― Cheongdo County, North Gyeongsang Province, is the birthplace of a number of major ideologies that shaped the mindset of Koreans in the past.
As well as the modern growth-oriented "can-do" spirit of the Saemaul Movement in the 1970s, the town is also home to the traditional hierarchical mindset referred to as the Hwarang spirit during the Silla Kingdom (57 B.C.-935 A.D.).
President Park Geun-hye hails from the region and for this reason there are ongoing moves to rejuvenate this old spirit.
Hwarang refers to an ancient military academy established in the Silla period where young male teenagers were brought together to practice martial arts and live by high ethical standards, and to follow the King's orders.
Records show that many of the Hwarang cadets either became high-ranking courtiers or military generals. The organization helped lay the spiritual foundation for Silla's unification of the Korean Peninsula in 668.
In an effort to revive the Hwarang spirit, Cheongdo County has secured a 67.8 billion won ($64 million) budget to construct a tourism belt, namely, the New Hwarang Experience Belt, at its Unmun Township.
The project centers on building cultural and educational facilities to promote the Hwarang mindset and its way of life. The belt's ongoing infrastructure construction is expected to be completed in 2016.
Also, last year, the county designated Sept. 1 as the day to commemorate Hwarang.
In line with this, the Cheongdo-based Unmun Temple, whose history dates back to the Silla era, recently opened a new research institute ― the Won Gwang Hwarang Research Center (WHRC) ― to inherit and nourish the old ideology.
Won Gwang is the name of a renowned Buddhist monk from the Silla period who traveled to China in 589 in search of the ultimate knowledge.
After 11 years of learning, he returned to Silla and dwelled near the Unmun Temple. That is where he taught the so-called "five commandments for secular life" to disciplinary groups of Hwarang which later became the guiding principles for the organization.
The commandments mainly emphasize obedience to superiors, especially to the King, but also have Buddhist and Daoist elements about embracing nature.
"Hwarang has been the driving force behind Korea's unification because it set an example for teenagers in Silla to follow," said Monk Jinkwang during an academic conference hosted by WHRC which took place at the Unmun Temple last week.
"At this dawning of a new millennium, we will strive for creating a new paradigm of Hwarang and try to practice it in the world," the monk from the Unmun Temple added, referring to how the Korean Peninsula is currently divided.
"Modernizing the Hwarang spirit is synonymous to saying that modern day youth must create their own vision like how Won Gwang did back in his days," said Park Hong-sik, a professor at Daegu Haany University and chairman of the Korean Society of Confucianism.
"His free-minded spirit led him to study all kinds of teachings such as Confucianism, Buddhism, Daoism and other ideas from the Hundred Schools of Thoughts. This attitude is what teenagers of today must adopt."
The Hundred Schools of Thoughts refers to many philosophical and political ideas that emerged during the early stages of ancient China, encompassing Mohism, Legalism and the theory of Yin-yang. Confucianism was one of them.
"I am very optimistic that our spirit of Hwarang will make its way into the modern world in the near future," said Lee Joong-geun, mayor of the county, in his congratulatory message to the conference.
Meanwhile, some participants warned that Hwarang's revival should not mean bringing back the authoritarianism of the past.
The Hwarang mindset was regarded highly during the military regime of Park Chung-hee in the 1970s when Korea experienced rapid economic growth, backed by a strong push for industrial development by the central government. But opinions are mixed with some downplaying the times as a regression of democracy because of its centralized hierarchy.
The general-turned-president is the father of President Park. The late Park took over the helm of the country via a military coup in 1961. He ruled until 1979 when he was assassinated by one of his subordinates.
![[ANALYSIS] Tesla, BYD's price cuts unnerve LGES, Samsung, SK](https://img.koreatimes.co.kr/upload/thumbnailV2/b1cf8ba68d474cb69352bfe7ea9d14f0.jpg/dims/resize/178/optimize)
![[INTERVIEW] How ATEEZ achieved worldwide success](https://img.koreatimes.co.kr/upload/thumbnailV2/c7723b56dde94eb4b260950d368fe8fb.jpg/dims/resize/178/optimize)
